At the age of 13, Nathan became addicted to drugs.
“I was quite young, started smoking weed with the other kids at school. But as the years went on, I switched to heavier drugs, class As and all the rest.
“It was really messy,” explains Nathan.
Before long, he’ll save up lunch money to score drugs, and use them in the bathroom while his peers are in class.
Nathan, now 20, partly blames the music scene for the exposure after witnessing overt drug use while performing as a teenager.
But it quickly escalated.
“When I proceed outside of that scene, I’ll basically take heroin, whatever else I can get,” he said.
Nathan is now clean and has been over 17 months.
Now, he realizes that his drug use was never about partying or having fun with friends, instead he used them to detox and self-medicate to avoid the pain life throws. into yourself.
He added: “It’s really a lot of hope. What’s the point here? I don’t like how I feel and I don’t know how to say what I’m feeling either.
“Instead, it’s like this is what I’m going through and I don’t want to share it. That’s when the drug addiction started.
“It’s like, well, I’m going to take this, and I don’t feel anything.”
Nathan is one of the lucky ones, he is supported by a charity that addresses his mental health needs, and now has a group of friends who are also recovering, providing a network much needed support.
But too many people fear that access to drugs is much easier than access to mental health services.
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Cannabis candy ‘sold to children’
Youth drug use spike ‘extremely worrying’
According to youth charity The Mix, there has been a 75% increase since 2021 in young people using stimulants to get out of trouble in their lives, with 1/ 5 users do the same.
A similar number of young people use stimulants to help them cope with mental health problems or emotional distress.
In addition, the charity found a total of one-third of young people (aged 16-25) had used illegal drugs in the past 12 months, equivalent to about 2.6 million people, and an increase of 50% compared to last year.
In the past 12 months, 17% of young people have used Class A drugs within the past 12 months, equivalent to 1.3 million young people and an increase of 54% compared to last year.
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The Mix’s deputy managing director Zoe Bailie said: “The spike we’ve seen in stimulant use over the past year is extremely concerning and we believe it can also be prevented. Okay”.
Ms. Bailie highlighted the difficulties many young people face when trying to access mental health services across the country, and said this needs to be more accessible to help those in need. .
She also highlights the stigma often attached to drug use and says this often means young people are afraid to ask for help, for fear of being judged.
Ms Bailie added: “We also need to do more to highlight the support available, ensuring that it is accessible before a young person becomes dependent on drugs as a way to deal with life’s problems.”
